Action of 28 October 2007

Action of 28 October 2007
Action of 28 October 2007
Part of the Operation Enduring Freedom - Horn of Africa
Pirate vessel burning (center)
Skiff burning after taking 25 mm rounds
Date 28 October 2007
Location Gulf of Aden, off Socotra
Result United States victory, captured vessels freed.
Belligerents
 United States Somali Pirates
Strength
2 destroyers 1 tanker
2 skiffs
Casualties and losses
none 2 skiffs sunk

The Action of 28 October 2007 was part of Operation Enduring Freedom - Horn of Africa, the military operation defined by the United States for combating terrorism in the Horn of Africa.[1] The operation is one component of the overall mission of Operation Enduring Freedom. The incident occurred when United States Navy units acted to interdict piracy in the region.

Contents

Background

After a decrease in piracy in the first half of 2007, Somali pirates rebounded and again started to increase their attacks on shipping off the coast of Somalia. On 28 October 2007, pirates hijacked the Japanese tanker the MV Golden Nori, eight nautical miles (15 km) off the Somali coast.[2]

Military confrontation

The MV Golden Nori was refueled after being released

After receiving a distress call, the USS Porter, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, arrived at the scene and attacked and sank two skiffs being towed by the tanker. The tanker's owner and operator, Dorval Kaiun Shipping, reported that its cargo consists of four kinds of chemicals, including highly flammable benzene. The United States Fifth Fleet spokesperson, Lydia Roberts, stated, "we were aware of what was on the ship when we fired".[3]

As the hijacked tanker continued underway, the Porter's sister ship USS Arleigh Burke received authorization from Somali authorities to pursue it. This is the first incident of Somali piracy where the United States Navy was given permission for pursuit within Somali territorial waters. The Navy continued to shadow the vessel through October and November, 2007.[4] One of the crewmembers escaped the ship and made it to safety, angering the pirates and complicating the situation even further. In November negotiations started for the tanker's release, but by 4 December the Golden Nori had been cornered in the port of Bosasso by two American and one German ships. Coalition forces called on the pirates to surrender, threatening them with military force if the standoff continued.[5] The pirates in return demanded one million dollars in ransom, saying if it was not paid they would kill all 21 members of the crew.[citation needed] On 12 December, the pirates left the vessel for the coast and set the crew free.[6] It is unclear as of yet if the pirates received their demanded ransom, or left simply because of the pressure applied by the Coalition.

Similar incident

Another hijacking in the same region occurred late on 29 October when gunmen attacked the North Korean freighter Dai Hong Dan. A helicopter from the USS James E. Williams (DDG-95), responding to a telephoned report of a hijacking, flew over the freighter on 30 October and radioed a demand for the attackers to surrender.

USS James E. Williams

The freighter's crew subsequently overwhelmed the gunmen, killing one and detaining the rest. With the permission of the freighter's crew, US Navy forces boarded the freighter to treat the wounded, which included three crewmen and three pirates.[7] This hijacking may not have been the work of indiscriminate area pirates; the hijackers are believed to be security guards hired by the freighter's shipping agent.[8]

Aftermath

After the release of the Golden Nori, the US Navy started pressuring pirates on other vessels to release their captives and flee. Not too long after the release of the Golden Nori all other vessels were released, some after US warships threatened to use force to remove the pirates on them. Some of the pirates fled without taking ransoms but it appears that others were indeed given ransom payments before leaving the ships they had taken. American ships escorted the freed vessels out of Somali waters and provided assistance to the crews of those vessels. All vessels were freed and no vessel was captured by pirates for a matter of months after the release of the Nori allowing for a short period of peace along the coast.

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Action of 3 June 2007 — Part of the Operation Enduring Freedom Horn of Africa Date 3 June 2007 Location off Somalia coast Resul …   Wikipedia

  • October 2007 clashes in Hakkâri — October 2007 clashes in Hakkari Part of the Turkey – Kurdistan Workers Party conflict Districts of Hakkâri Province (Turkey) …   Wikipedia

  • October 2007 — is the tenth month of that year. It began on a Monday and 31 days later, ended on a Wednesday. International holidays October 2 – Gandhi Jayanti (India) October 3 – Last third of Ramadan which includes Laylat al Qadr (Islamic) October 3 – end of… …   Wikipedia

  • October 2007 clashes in Hakkari — Infobox Military Conflict conflict=21 October 2007 Hakkari PKK attack partof=the Turkey PKK conflict caption=Districts of Hakkari province (Turkey) date=October 21, 2007 place=Near Dağlıca, Yüksekova, Hakkari, Turkey casus= territory= result=… …   Wikipedia

  • Action of 18 March 2006 — Part of Piracy in Somalia, Operation Enduring Freedom Horn of Africa Pirate vessel burning after en …   Wikipedia

  • Action of 1 April 2010 — Part of Piracy in Somalia, Operation Ocean Shield, Operation Enduring Freedom Horn of Africa …   Wikipedia

  • Action of 11 November 2008 — November 11, 2008, incident off Somalia Part of the Operation Enduring Freedom Horn of Africa …   Wikipedia

  • October 2006 — was a month that began on a Sunday. The month was marked by a nuclear test by North Korea that prompted that passing of Resolution 1718 by the United Nations Security Council. Also at the United Nations, Ban Ki moon was elected to succeed Kofi… …   Wikipedia

  • 2007 Broadway stagehand strike — 2007 Broadway Stagehands Strike was a strike action by stagehands represented by Theatrical Protective Union Number One (Local One) of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) against the Shubert, Jujamcyn, and Nederlander …   Wikipedia

  • 2007 NBA Finals — Team Coach Wins San Antonio Spurs Gregg Popovich …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”